'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
It's been a rough few weeks for Teofimo Lopez. 'The Takeover' recently lost his lightweight title to George Kambosos Jr. in late Nov. However, the bigger problem for Lopez is what's been revealed in the aftermath of his defeat to the Australian.
Following the loss to Kambosos, it was discovered that Lopez suffered from a torn esophagus in their fight. The injury led to Lopez having issues breathing, which he initially attributed to lifelong asthma. Medical professionals reviewing Lopez revealed the 24-year-old could've died during the bout had he been hit in the right location.
Lopez announced plans to move up in weight after the Kambosos loss, but those plans may be on hold, along with his fighting future as a whole. That's according to his promoter Bob Arum, who discussed the situation on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani. When asked if Lopez would ever fight again, Arum said:
“I have no idea. I talked to him every day this week, and he’s still not feeling well. I hope that he recovers and gets the proper preparation if he decides to fight again, and, of course, I would insist that he fight at a higher weight division because there’s no sense killing yourself making a weight that is going to really adversely affect you."
Watch the full conversation with Bob Arum and Ariel Helwani below:
Teofimo Lopez won the BWAA Fighter of The Year for 2020
Despite his 2021 downfall, Teofimo Lopez still had a tremendous run in 2020. 'The Takeover' won the 2020 Fighter of the Year award from the Boxing Writer's Association of America (BWAA) earlier this week. The original presentation ceremony was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Lopez gained that accolade via his October 2020 upset of Vasily Lomachenko. Despite being a massive underdog, the up-and-comer outhustled 'Hi-Tech'. His signature performance earned Lopez the unified lightweight championship and global acclaim.
While he lost those titles to George Kambosos last month, Lopez insisted his fighting career was still bright. Now, however, the competitive prospects of Teofimo Lopez Jr. remain in doubt.
